'But we'll maximise what we've got': Johnson
INDIGENOUS All-Stars coach Chris Johnson won't be tempted to use Nathan Lovett-Murray in the ruck against Adelaide in Darwin on Saturday night despite the Essendon utility virtually the only other key-position type player in the squad.
The All-Stars face an improbable task against the Crows after its initial squad was revealed to be one of the smallest. On average, the Indigenous team is some 7cm smaller than Adelaide's.
Adelaide 28-gamer Jonathon Griffin is the only recognised ruckman in the All-Stars. After him it's anyone’s guess as to how the Indigenous side will be expected to provide its followers with clear ball at the stoppages. Griffin is 202cm tall while Lovett-Murray, who has played 85 AFL games, stands at 190cm. Yet Liam Jurrah, one of eight players in the squad yet to play an AFL game, is 3cm taller than he.
"It is bit of an issue and it is going to be tough but I wouldn't play Nathan in the ruck (as a back-up) because he's not a ruckman," Johnson said yesterday before boarding a plane for Darwin. "We're going to be a very small team (in comparison) so we'll just have to maximise what we've got. What this will do is give a chance for a lot of the players to stand up and see how they go."
The All-Stars and Crows are relatively even in games played -- 51 to 54 -- and debutants -- eight each -- but it's in the air where the Crows will have the decided advantage.
"All AFL-listed players are given the opportunity to play but at the moment a lot of blokes are thinking ahead to the AFL (premiership) season, and fair enough too because those games mean a lot," Johnson said of several no-shows.
It all presents Johnson, the AFL's only Indigenous coach in his assistant role at Brisbane, an opportunity to see how he fares in his first senior role.
"It will be a great learning curve, for sure," he said. "Over the past three months I've really learnt some good lessons into what's needed to become a senior coach. I'll take this experience back with me to Brisbane and learn from it all whenever the next time comes for me to coach, where ever that may be."
How the respective squads measure up
Games played
All-Stars:
51.75 games (the average will likely go up when the squad is trimmed to 30);
8 zero-gamers;
5 players having played less than 10 games.
Adelaide:
54.03 games;
8 zero-gamers;
4 players having played less than 10 games.
Height
All-Stars:
Average height is 180.91cm.
Adelaide:
Average height is 187.63cm.
Top 5
All-Stars:
Jonathon Griffin, 202cm (28 games);
Liam Jurrah, 193cm (0);
Nathan Lovett-Murray, 190cm (85);
Raphael Clarke, 189cm (41);
Joshua Hill, 186cm (19).
Adelaide:
Kurt Tippett, 201cm (19 games);
Brad Moran, 199cm (10);
Ivan Maric, 198cm (30);
James Sellar, 196cm (1);
Shaun McKernan, 196cm (0).
Only five players in the Adelaide squad are shorter than the average height for the All-Stars squad, two of which are Jarrhan Jacky and Jared Petrenko. The Crows have 23 players over 6-feet tall, whereas the All-Stars have just nine.
2009 Qantas Indigenous All-Stars squad:
Adelaide: Jonathon Griffin, Graham Johncock, Andrew McLeod, Jarrhan Jacky, Jared Petrenko;
Brisbane: Ashley McGrath, Albert Proud;
Carlton: Chris Yarran;
Essendon: Andrew Lovett, Nathan Lovett-Murray;
Geelong: Nathan Djerrkura, Mathew Stokes, Travis Varcoe;
Hawthorn: Cyril Rioli, Cameron Stokes;
Melbourne: Aaron Davey, Liam Jurrah;
North Melbourne: Matt Campbell, Lindsay Thomas, Cruzie Garlett;
Port Adelaide: Shaun Burgoyne, Daniel Motlop, Marlon Motlop, Danyle Pearce;
St Kilda: Raphael Clarke;
West Coast: David Wirrpanda, Liam Bedford, Adam Cockie;
Western Bulldogs: Jarrod Harbrow, Joshua Hill, Malcolm Lynch, Brennan Stack.
DARREN MONCRIEFF
& MICHAEL HAYTHORPE
Info@AboriginalFootball.com.au
Monday, February 2, 2009
Last Modified on 02/02/2009 23:15